Right-hander Jakob Junis has agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Texas Rangers, according to a source. The deal aims to bolster the team's bullpen, which struggled with saves last season. The Rangers have not yet confirmed the agreement.
The Texas Rangers continue their efforts to rebuild their bullpen with the addition of veteran right-hander Jakob Junis. A source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand that Junis has agreed to a one-year deal worth $4 million, though the club has not officially confirmed it.
Junis, 33, spent the 2025 season with the Cleveland Guardians, where he transitioned fully to a relief role for the first time in his career. Entering free agency for the fourth time, this marks his first offseason following a non-starting season. In Cleveland, his trust from the team grew as the year progressed, culminating in 66 2/3 innings pitched with a strong 2.97 ERA. This performance contributed to a remarkable 2.83 ERA over 133 2/3 innings across the past two seasons, a significant improvement from his career 4.64 ERA entering 2024.
Junis relies heavily on his slider, which made up 44.5 percent of his pitches in 2025 and 45.2 percent in 2024. Batters hit just .238 against it last year, whiffing 31.4 percent of the time, thanks to its sweeper-like movement with 12.4 inches of glove-side break—7.8 inches more than average. He also increased his changeup usage dramatically to 20 percent in 2025 from 8.7 percent the prior year, a adjustment endorsed by Cleveland pitching coach Carl Willis and staff. Against changeups, opponents struck out 15 times in 60 at-bats, with only three extra-base hits and no home runs allowed.
His sinker and four-seamer were less effective, with hitters posting a .353 average against the sinker and a .625 slugging percentage on the four-seamer. However, Junis limited damage by allowing just one home run off each pitch type. Velocity is a concern moving forward: his four-seamer averaged 91.2 mph in 2025, down from 92.5, while the sinker fell to 91.1 from 91.9. His strikeout rate has also dipped to 7.1 per nine innings over the last two years, compared to 10 in 2023.
Junis joins a revamped Rangers bullpen that includes newcomers Tyler Alexander, Alexis Díaz, Chris Martin, and Carter Baumler, acquired via trade in the Rule 5 Draft. Texas saved only 37 of 66 opportunities in 2025 despite a respectable 3.62 bullpen ERA, highlighting a key area for improvement in their second straight rebuild.
